


Heaven Itself Couldn't Hold Me Back

by L0stInSpace



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:01:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22027507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L0stInSpace/pseuds/L0stInSpace
Summary: “You will find someone, trust me. I bet a year from now, we’ll be having this annual bar night in whatever city we plan, and you’ll be telling me about how amazing your boyfriend is.” Daniel told him reassuringly, placing an arm on Max’s shoulder out of comfort.“I hope you’re right.” Max replied, a small laugh leaving his lips as he spoke. Somehow the small statement resonated with him, igniting something within, that he was capable of loving, and being loved.“I know I’m right.” Daniel teased him back, sending a smile in Max’s direction. He knew he’d be right, he just needed to make Max believe he was right.
Relationships: Alexander Albon/Max Verstappen
Comments: 12
Kudos: 49





	Heaven Itself Couldn't Hold Me Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kimva4ever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimva4ever/gifts).



> Originally written as a request on my F1 Prompt Fills but it got ridiculously long and I really wanted to release it as an individual work, because I enjoyed writing it too much!  
> The title's actually some of the lyrics to Love Me by Stanaj, but the MOTi & Terry McLove remix.  
> Hope you guys really enjoy this, I adored writing all of this, and it's kinda been a long time coming for me!

When Max went into the bar, he didn’t expect to get hammered. All it was, was a simple catchup with Daniel, their last time for the year before going back home, and splitting officially as teammates. But 4 pints later, he wasn’t anywhere near sober, the room slightly spinning from the amount of alcohol running through his veins.

“Max, I don’t think this is a good idea.” Daniel sternly told him, stopping him from handing the money to the bartender for another glass. Max attempted to fight back, but Dan caught both his wrists, stopping him from grabbing anything further.

“Dan, I need these drinks. They’re the only thing to make me happy!” Max exclaimed in response, and despite the enthusiasm, Daniel could hear the underlying sadness laced between the slurred words.   
  
“Please Max, I’d rather you talked to me, than just kept drinking away your problems. So whatever it is, say it.” Dan replied, staring the Dutchman straight in the eyes. At this, Max seemed to break slightly, shoulders dropping from the emotional hit.

“I’m the last single one of the group, all the others are in relationships, and I’m sick of it. I guess I just want to feel loved.” Max sighed, bottom lip trembling as his voice wavered. He knew it was pathetic, getting drunk over the fact he was painfully single, however it was the only coping mechanism he thought would help.

“You will find someone, trust me. I bet a year from now, we’ll be having this annual bar night in whatever city we plan, and you’ll be telling me about how amazing your boyfriend is.” Daniel told him reassuringly, placing an arm on Max’s shoulder out of comfort.

“I hope you’re right.” Max replied, a small laugh leaving his lips as he spoke. Somehow the small statement resonated with him, igniting something within, that he was capable of loving, and being loved. 

  
“I know I’m right.” Daniel teased him back, sending a smile in Max’s direction. He knew he’d be right, he just needed to make Max believe he was right.

\---

The snow outside the window continued to fall, Max watching in awe as the white flakes settled on the hillsides. He was out in Austria for the Kitzbuhel ski meet, alongside several of the other Red Bull drivers who’d been invited to the event. Pierre was sat opposite him in the room, discussing their hopes of the car before the start of the f1 season, whilst Andrea and Pol were also sat at the table, waiting for Dany and Alex to arrive. 

Max knew Dany well, they’d been in f1 together for a while so got to know each other during that time, and he knew the Russian was prone to being a bit late, so he didn’t mind his absence. He hadn’t however got to know Alex. The last time he’d seen Alex, they’d both been in karts, young teenagers just trying to compete on the best level. The Thai had been very quiet and reserved, and Max didn’t really remember him all that well, but he knew enough to remember what he looked like. Max silently wondered in his head about just how much Alex would have changed since the karting in 2011. Footsteps on the floor snapped Max out of his train of thought, making him look up towards the corner of the room. 

Looking up, Max almost couldn’t believe the sight before him. He’d anticipated Alex to change, sure, but he didn’t expect his heart to be hammering in his chest at the sight of him. His features were so much more delicate than before, holding a certain lightness which sent Max’s heart into overdrive. The pale blue jumper Alex wore contrasted his slightly darker skin tone so well, and the way it hugged his figure had Max’s mind running wild, he could feel the light blush beginning to develop. Max tried to calm those thoughts as Alex continued to walk towards him, the Thai offering a polite smile and small handshake as a greeting.

“Mate, you’ve got it bad.” Pierre silently whispered across to Max, raising an eyebrow at his slightly flustered teammate.   
  
“Oh shut up!” Max whispered in reply, trying to play everything down, but the blush coating his cheeks betrayed his thoughts.

“You do know he’s single, right?” Pierre told him in response, laughing as Max visibly perked up at the statement.

“So you’re saying I might, you know?” Max trailed off, not daring to speak the words, and give himself false hope. Pierre understood exactly what he meant. 

“I mean, it’s on him, isn’t it. You’re obviously into him, he might be into you, so something could happen. I’d wait to see if there’s anything on his side, okay.” Pierre spoke back, trying to inject some positivity into the sentiment. 

“Sure.” Max replied impatiently, noticing the producers wanting to get on with filming. It was a little blunt and rude, but given the producers were a little pressed for time, it was a good excuse to end the conversation.

He laughed all the way through the competition with the others, finding it easy to get along with everyone. A couple of times he almost slipped up with his words, stuttering slightly, but mostly played it off well. The worst was when Alex had to stand directly behind him for the selfie, he thought he’d break then, turn into a blushing mess, but looking back at the selfie afterwards, nothing was obvious to the cameras at least.    


He could only hope Alex didn’t notice the rose pink tinting his cheeks that afternoon.

\---

The feelings had been easy to ignore for the most part. He’d mostly been occupied by the intense racing schedule, so didn’t really have the time to spare to focus on Alex. It didn’t mean his heart didn’t want to burst out of his chest every time he saw the Thai, Max could most definitely feel his heart skipping beats over Alex’s passing smiles about the paddock, he just knew that he couldn’t give Alex too much of his attention, too much of his heart, because he knew it would all come back to haunt him in the future, when Alex would oh so politely decline his advances for something more than friends.

What he’d tried to bury for months resurfaced in Canada, when he was told Dany and Alex would join them for the logger sports video the team were set to film. He’d hoped his feelings would’ve subsided by this point, yet his heart still swelled at the sight of Alex in the blue checked shirt, indicating that the feelings were still very prevalent and running wild. 

It didn’t help that he had to see Alex helplessly flail with the axes in the various challenges whilst showing no real aptitude for logger sports, because every time things didn’t go quite to plan, Alex let out a small laugh or giggle with his same killer smile and an often sarcastic comment to go along with it, and Max had to try contain himself despite his desperate urge to spill the truth. He tried to laugh along with the others during the challenges, even trying his hand at axe throwing again after the previous summer’s Hungarian disaster, but his heart still yearned after one man in particular during it all, unable to block Alex’s melodic laugh from his brain. 

Pierre watched on curiously between the pair, noticing the glances from Max when he assumed Alex wasn’t watching, and the light blush adorning Alex’s cheeks when watching Max in action. He knew Max had it bad, it was obvious since the first time the pair had met, but until now, he’d never really seen Alex show any signs in return. It filled part of him with a sense of satisfaction, because he wanted to see Max happy above all else, he’d seen the way his last relationship fell out of favour and the desperation from Max to just be seen as someone worth loving again.

He wanted desperately to do something but he didn’t really know what intervention would be appreciated, if any. He didn’t want to deny Max of any happiness that Alex could bring him, however he didn’t think Alex would appreciate him passing on to Max that the feelings were mutual, so it was a situation where all he could do was sit back and wait for something to happen, hoping sooner or later one of them would finally make a move. 

“You’ve got to tell him sooner or later.” Pierre tried to reason with Max, the pair huddled together whilst Dany and Alex filmed something short for the Toro Rosso social media pages.   


“Pierre are you out of your mind!” Max almost yelled back at him, the shock evident through his harsh tone of voice. He had no intent of Alex ever finding out how he felt, because he knew Alex would never feel the same, and he couldn’t bare trying to hold up the friendship if Alex knew about his feelings but didn’t return them.

“But he might feel the same, no?” Pierre reasoned, voice filled with optimism as he tried to fuel some optimism within his teammate.   
  
“No Pierre, Alex will no-” he tried to reply, but a rubber object hitting him on the arm stopped his talking, a scream leaving his lips as he flinched at the contact. In the distance he could see Dany laughing to the camera, Alex looking towards him instead, his bright smile ever present. It might’ve been Max’s brain wandering, but he thought he could see a faint pink blush taint Alex’s cheeks, however he doubted he would be the cause of that. A tap on his shoulder brought his attention back to his teammate.

“Just think about it, okay?” Pierre told him, keeping his hold firm on the Dutchman’s shoulder. All Max could muster in reply was a small smile, the prospect of telling Alex beyond terrifying in his mind.

\---

Walking into the factory doors, Alex felt the nerves building up in his chest, not quite ready to face the day ahead. It had been 2 weeks since the conversation in Austria, where Marko told him that he’d be replacing Pierre, and the scale of the situation hadn’t quite hit him until that moment. Of course, he’d been to the factory before, back when he drove for Toro Rosso, but he’d never thought he’d walk through the doors as a Red Bull Racing f1 driver. Now, it was exactly what he was doing, taking steps through the hallways until he found Christian’s office, the Brit being responsible for settling him into the team.

A pile of navy blue clothing was stacked on the desk of Christian’s office, and Alex knew it was his official teamwear, the old Toro Rosso colours rendered useless for him. Christian didn’t need to explain much for Alex to understand, and the Thai quickly slipped out of the room to the nearest bathroom stalls, trying the polo shirt on for size. The dark blue fabric of the team’s polo shirt felt foreign on his skin, used to the more vibrant blue of the Toro Rosso shirt, however it sat comfortably over his slender frame. He looked back at the reflection in the mirror, unable to really believe that these were his new colours, that he was officially a Red Bull driver now. His mind drifted briefly to Max, how good he looked in the shirt, but he tried to shut the thought out his mind before his brain got too carried away, he couldn’t afford to entertain the possibility of a relationship with Max, that was simply off limits. 

Walking back to Christian’s office, he kept the new shirt on, smiling politely at his new team principal. The nerves from earlier still pooled but they were less intense, slowly easing into the new surroundings. He tried to focus as the Brit started to talk once again, something about his new engineering team for Spa, who he’d yet to meet. The meeting seemed to drag as he ran over every tiny detail about garage operations, and Alex would rather have not found out all  the information before 9am on race week Monday, still trying to nurse the hangover from 2 nights prior, the last night in Portugal getting a bit wild.

The weekend plans were also run over and finalised with his new pr, who turned out to be a vibrant young Brit called Jacques, who he seemed to click with almost instantly. The talk soon turned to the seat fit and photoshoots, the schedule overloaded due to the sudden driver change, and despite the apprehension, Alex knew he should’ve expected nothing less. He accepted the schedule with a small nod, following the lead of Jacques towards the door, but before he could exit out the room, Christian spoke up once more, catching the attention of the duo.

“Oh and by the way, you’re filming a video with Max later for the youtube channel!” he called out to the pair, Alex’s smile brightening at the news. Jacques just laughed as he saw the Thai’s expression brighten, for he was well aware of the feelings flying between Alex and Max, and the pair’s refusal to do anything about them. He hoped for the sake of his own sanity, that they’d do something, and sooner rather than later. He didn’t want to be dealing with a lovesick driver for another 15 months.

“We’ve got it scheduled, should be a fun one.” Jacques spoke in return before finally stepping out of the office, Alex in tow as they negotiated the white walled halls of the factory, trying to find the way to the race bays.

“What is it we’re doing for the video?” Alex asked, trying to figure out what the activity was, and how he’d manage to embarrass himself in front of the Dutchman as a result. He hoped it wouldn’t be something as ridiculous as some of the previous videos, however he knew he wouldn’t be completely spared, Red Bull always enjoyed having a bit of fun with their drivers and the challenges for the videos.   
  
“You’ll find out later, Alex. Now hurry up, they wanted you doing the race suit shoot before 10.” Jacques just told him in response, hurrying through another set of double doors and into another corridor, headed towards the first of many scheduled activities for the day.

Alex quickly lost track of the number of photographs he had taken, and the number of outfits he was required to change into, the day going by in a blur. He was officially ready to call it a day when Jacques reminded him of the joint video with Max, which somehow made his expression perk up a little. ‘ _ Just one more activity for the day and you’re done’  _ his brain called out to him, and he instantly silenced the thought. It wasn’t just one more activity, it was his first proper meeting with his new teammate, the man who made his heart beat just that little bit faster.   


“Do you really think I haven’t noticed the way you perk up whenever  _ his _ name is even mentioned?” Jacques sent a knowing smile the Thai’s way, making Alex’s cheeks turn crimson red at the comment.

“I…” he tried to reply, however he couldn’t really find the words to say, unsure of what would be the right words.

“Alex, I can see it on your face. You’re in love with Max.” Jacques sternly told him, not beating around the bush and avoiding the topic.

“I hoped you wouldn’t notice.” Alex murmured back, looking down in shame, finding his feet and the floor more interesting than the scenery around the room. He knew that it would eventually come up in conversation, he couldn’t lie to save his life, but he didn’t expect it to be on his first day within the team.

“Maybe try being a bit more subtle on camera, okay? I don’t think you’d want the world to know about it just yet.” Alex was warned by his pr, Jacques’ expression hardening as he gave the slight warning.

“Why should that matter? When Dan was on the team he was giving Max bloody heart eyes the whole time and the team never took issue to it.” Alex questioned him in response, not knowing why it would matter. He’d seen the videos with Max and Dan, and he could see the chemistry, knowing the fans rather liked the playful flirty banter of ‘Maxiel’. So being a little flirty on camera, albeit accidental, he didn’t see the harm it.

“But everyone knew that a relationship would not happen, Daniel was straight. You, on the other hand, aren’t, and Max isn’t either. This could actually out the pair of you and it’s not something we want to be dealing with.” Jacques warned him again, Alex understanding the gravity of the situation. He knew he wouldn’t want his biggest personal secret to become public knowledge, but he also didn’t want to fabricate a media persona just to play happy families for the camera crews.  


“I can’t help the fact I fell in love though.” Alex sighed back, voice tinted with hints of shame, like the fact he loved Max wasn’t something to be proud of.

“I know you can’t. And I understand the fact that you can’t help who you fall in love with. But I’m not sure the team would take well to their drivers being together. I’m happy for you to make the move, but I’m not sure the team would be best pleased.” Jacques smiled back at him, moving a hand to rest it on the Thai’s shoulder, giving him an encouraging look, one that told him that all would be okay in the end.

“Do you hate me for it? For falling in love with Max?” Alex perked up, asking Jacques about the pressing matter, wondering if it could affect his future within the team. If senior figures caught hold of the secret, he’d probably lose his place within the team, his dignity and respect at the least, so he hoped his pr at least held the opposite opinion and still accepted him.

“Not at all, you’d actually make a pretty good couple. But ultimately, I work for Red Bull too and do have to protect the team’s image, which means putting professional interest above personal interest. It’s sad, but that’s the way it is. You’ve got my full support though.” the Brit replied, giving a look of sympathy to Alex. He wished he could do more but the team had made their guidelines clear, and he didn't want to be responsible for breaking them. It didn't mean he wouldn't fight their corner though, because he knew he would do whatever to make things easier for Alex. 

“Thanks, Jacques.” Alex simply told him before running on over to the chairs in the middle of the room, waiting for Max to arrive and the interview to start. 

Alex's heart began to beat a bit faster the moment the Dutchman stepped into the room for the interview, and he almost broke instantly the moment his gaze met the light blue of Max's eyes. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks, however he hoped the blush wouldn't be too visible, he couldn't have Max find out like this.

The video idea was a simple Q&A, where they'd be asking each other the questions. It all seemed so simple, but when he had Max Verstappen of all people sat directly opposite him, waiting on every word of information, it sent Alex into overdrive. He tried to banter with Max, being as natural as possible, but even then, he couldn't ignore the yearning feeling in his heart, wishing that things could be just that bit different with Max. 

It was only after the interview had ended that Alex properly got to talk with Max, their first proper conversation since Austria, back in late June. It felt impolite to just leave his teammate hanging without properly saying hello, he knew Max at least deserved that much. But being alone with him now, no staff members to watch over them, he didn't know how much he'd be able to hold in, especially seeing as he could have sworn there were moments of  _ sexual tension  _ in the video.

"Hey Alex." Max broke the silence, approaching Alex’s side as he walked over to the corner of the room, joining the Thai as he gathered the last of his belongings.

"Hey Max." Alex cheered back, instantly recognising the voice to be that of Max. He didn’t mean to perk up so much but the fact that Max was trying to make conversation that wasn’t forced, it sparked something within which Alex found himself enjoying.

"Congrats on the seat, by the way. I never got to congratulate you on that until now." Max added on, remembering he hadn’t said anything yet. He felt bad for not yet congratulating Alex, but he didn’t even have his number so couldn’t message the Thai his congratulations, and he’d settled for having to wait until he could say it in person.

"Aah thanks, it's been fun with the team so far. That interview was probably the most fun part of the day!" Alex smiled back to him, laughing slightly as he remembered some of the moments from the interview, and the comment about the hot dogs which sent both of them into hysterics. 

"Same for me, Alex, I really enjoyed that with you." Max replied, a small smile spreading over his lips as he thought about the interview, and the connection he thought he felt. He couldn’t get Alex’s soft laugh out his head, and how his eyes always lit up whenever hearing something that made him smile or laugh, Alex was his drug and Max was addicted. 

"I’m glad you did. I was hoping you’d like me.” Alex shyly replied, starting to walk out of the room and back towards the main lobby. 

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re a great guy Alex, bloody talented and kind hearted.” Max told him, looking towards him with a look of pride and adoration, though Alex couldn’t see the expression resting on the Dutchman’s face. “ _ And you look great.”  _ he added under his breath, hoping that Alex wouldn’t overhear what was said.

“What did you just say?” Alex questioned him, and at that moment Max knew that there was no coming back from this. And he’d have to face up to his feelings head on, for the first time in his life. He’d always wanted to keep things to himself, but this time, he had to tell Alex.   
  
“Nothing.” Max quickly replied, but the rosy blush on his cheeks betrayed everything. Alex stopped walking at this, leaning up against the wall in the deserted hallway. At this hour, nobody would come by to disturb them, giving them a good chance to talk things over.

“You just called me attractive, didn’t you?” Alex raised an eyebrow at him, trying to stop himself from smiling softly. He should’ve been mad at Max for that, but the feeling of euphoria in his veins told him otherwise, and he was actually flattered by the compliment.   
  
“And so what if I did. I’m not lying.” Max spoke back, smiling slightly towards the end. Alex tried to formulate a response but no words came out, instead he took to just admiring his teammate, meeting the pale blue of the Dutchman’s eyes.

“Max...” he eventually trailed off, trying to plead otherwise with the Dutchman, but Max began to speak again before he could say anything else.   
  
“I might as well confess everything, if you hadn’t figured it out yet. I like you, and kinda want to be with you. I know you don’t feel the same, and that’s okay.” Max confessed, looking down towards the floor to escape Alex’s gaze. If he’d have looked up, he would’ve seen the loving gaze from the Thai, but he instead continued to look down, afraid of meeting his soft brown eyes.

“I do feel the same, that’s the thing. Even if we wanted to be together, the team wouldn’t let us though.” Alex replied, catching Max’s attention as he softly spoke. His voice trembled slightly, remembering the prior conversation with Jacques, but ultimately he knew as long as they didn’t let the team know, it could work. It seemed as though Max had also picked up on this, as he took one of Alex’s hands into his own, before asking a question.   
  
“Well, are you prepared to keep a little secret?” he asked, smiling softly towards Alex, gently squeezing his hand as he asked the question, hoping Alex would say yes.

“Is this your way of asking me to be your boyfriend?” Alex smiled in response, laughing slightly in disbelief. It was all his dreams come true, simply too much good fortune in such little time, he didn’t know what he’d done to deserve this. Another gentle squeeze of his hand drew his attention back to Max, holding the gaze of his light blue eyes. 

“Alex Albon, be mine?” Max asked, hope in his eyes, and Alex saw the slightly golden specs appear, making his heart melt, and the decision easy. 

“Absolutely yes.” Alex replied without hesitation, before he lost courage to say the words he’d wanted to for so long. It always would have been a yes, it was Max and he’d never be able to deny the Dutchman. He smiled towards Max, stepping closer as he placed a hand on Max’s cheek, cupping his cheek in the palm of his hand.

“Good.” Max quietly whispered, taking a quick look around the corridor to see if anyone would pass. As the silence remained, he leant closer, until his lips were on Alex’s, and he took the Thai in for a short kiss.

\---

Max felt content when waking up, for the first time in a while. He smiled softly as his eyes opened, squinting slightly as the harsh sunlight filtered into the room. He blinked slightly to adjust to the light, before seeing the arms rested around his waist, knowing he was in Alex’s hold. Max turned so he was lying on his other side, facing the sleeping Thai beside him. 

His heart swelled at the sight, Alex so peacefully sleeping, soft snores escaping his lips as his chest rose and fell with his breathing. Here, Max got to see him from a new angle, one only he was granted to, and he was absolutely enamoured. Here, he had Alex solely to himself, and he appreciated the beauty of the max beside him. His eyes fixed on the red line on Alex’s collar, an earlier scar from surgery a few years prior, and he gently moved a hand so his fingertips ran across the slightly raised skin, goosebumps appearing on his skin at the slight contact. 

His fingers continued to ghost over the Thai’s skin, moving the touch upwards, along his jawline, over his cheeks, coming to rest over his left eyebrow. He could see the raised lines of skin from multiple scars, and he traced the lines of all of them, smiling contently at the sleeping figure beside him, unsure what he did to deserve someone so beautiful.

Slowly, Alex’s eyes started to open, awoken by Max’s touch. He smiled gently towards the Dutchman beside him, catching his gaze as Max’s hand moved to gently cup his jaw. It was the moments like this which he adored, just the 2 of them away from the world, caught up in each other. He leant into the Max’s touch, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, a short laugh escaping his lips as he pulled away, still holding the Dutchman’s gaze.

“Fijne verjaardag, Max” Alex whispered across in the silence, voice still heavy with sleep. Max’s eyes brightened as he heard the familiar Dutch words, his heart beating just that bit faster as a light blush started to settle on his cheeks. 

“God, I fucking love you Alex.” he spoke into the air, before he realised he’d never said those words before. But hearing Alex making an effort to do things for him, knowing he cared, everything felt right in the moment and he knew it was the right time to have said that, because  _ he truly did love Alex. _

“C̄hạn rạk khuṇ. I love you, so so much.” Alex told him in response, letting out a nervous giggle at the end. He smiled brightly towards Max, feeling his heartbeat intensify just by  _ looking at him. _

“You’re absolutely perfect.” Max whispered between them, before closing the distance between them once again. His hands moved to rest behind Alex’s neck as they lazily kissed, losing track as they stayed embraced in the other’s hold, the blissful sensation taking ahold. Eventually though, they had to break apart, Alex smiling fondly at Max as they moved slightly, lying just centimetres apart.

“As much as I wish we could stay here all day, the team wanted us at the factory by midday. At least after work I’m taking you out to the local Italian, my treat for your birthday.” Alex disappointedly announced, knowing the team wanted further feedback on the car after the previous day’s race. He perked up in the second part though, Max’s expression perking up as he realised the restaurant Alex meant, it was the place they had their first date after all.   
  
“But it’s only 10 now?” Max confusedly asked, slightly unsure why Alex would be worried about the factory work just yet. After all, they were only 10 minutes from Caldecotte, so they could easily be avoiding thinking about Red Bull for another hour or so.   
  
“Exactly, so we have a bit more time between these sheets.” Alex teased, expression changing slightly so his lips formed a slight smirk. Max’s cheeks turned crimson red at the thought of Alex’s suggestion, however as much as he wanted to deny, he had to admit he’d been thinking about this for a while, what it would be like if the causal kisses turned to something a bit more intense.

“I like the way you’re thinking.” was his reply, muttered under his breath before Alex leant in once again, taking him in for another lingering kiss, full of love and promise. But he could also sense the lust and desire, deep in the depths of Alex’s dark brown eyes.

\---

“I’m glad to see you’re happier!” Dan smiled across at Max, clinking their beer glasses together. They’d agreed to meet at the same bar as last year, finding it easier to hold the gathering in Monaco than any other city. Max took a small sip of his heineken, smiling back to the Aussie. He was glad to have someone like Daniel in his life, despite the bad jokes and questionable dance moves from time to time, but he knew there was someone else he was even more glad he’d met in the previous year.

He quickly settled his glass down as he pulled the phone out, tapping the little green icon of whatsapp. Opening the app, he opened the conversation with Alex, smiling slightly as he saw his profile picture. It was a photo he’d taken on their date in Los Angeles, where they hiked to the Hollywood sign, and Alex was flashing his usual peace signs to the camera with the white letters visible in the background. Ignoring his fluttering heart, Max checked the time of Alex’s last communication, it was 20 minutes ago saying he was just leaving. Max knew it was only a 10 minute walk from their apartment complex, so either Alex was lost, or something had happened to him. He started to worry slightly, and Daniel picked up on this, shooting him a worried look.

“Are you okay?” Daniel asked him, concern in his voice as he looked across at the Dutchman. Max just offered him a weak smile, taking another sip of his beer as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

“Just worried about someone.” he eventually told Daniel, sighing at the empty place beside him, where Alex should have been sitting by now. Daniel saw as his eyes drifted slightly, smile brightening as he realised the exact reason behind Max’s worries.   
  
“Wait, are they  _ significant _ ?” he asked Max, raising an eyebrow to press him for an answer. Before he was granted one though, Max’s gaze was averted, towards the double doors of the bar. 

There, Alex stood, holding 3 small roses, tied together at the stem. Max couldn’t tear his eyes away as Alex hastily weaved through the crowd, watching like he was the only person that mattered. He didn’t care what Daniel was thinking at that moment, all he could think about was Alex, so when the Thai finally reached him, he took him into a short kiss before realising their surroundings, hastily retracting once he realised where they were.

“You got these for me?” Max asked him in disbelief, now understanding why Alex had been a bit late to the bar. 

“I’m not going to tell Daniel I love him, am I?” Alex laughed back, seeing Daniel pout slightly as he held a hand to his heart, mocking being in pain from heartbreak. “Of course, I did this for you.” he continued, wrapping his arm gently around Max’s waist.

“See Max, I was right. A year ago you were telling me how you’d never be loved, and now you’ve found your perfect match in Alex.” Daniel announced to Max, reminding him of the previous year’s events. Max just buried his head in Alex’s shoulder, not wanting anything more to he said, he knew he’d said some pretty stupid shit that night when drunk.

“All it takes is a bit of belief, and you’ll find your forever. I think you’ve already found yours though!” Dan continued to tell Max, laughing slightly at the end. He didn’t want to call things prematurely and judge too early, but he could tell they would last, he could see the wedding day already!

“I know I have.” Max contently replied, squeezing Alex’s waist gently before leaning up to kiss his cheek gently. Alex just smiled back at him, the same smile that made him fall in love, and in that moment he knew, as long as he had Alex by his side, he’d be alright.  _ They’d be alright. _

**Author's Note:**

> If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading this, it means the world to me.  
> If you enjoyed it, please maybe leave a comment or some kudos, I'd love to know what you guys thought :)  
> -Zoë


End file.
